Small Montana
| Small Montana | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Statistics | |
| Real name | Benjamin Gan |
| Weight(s) | Flyweight |
| Height | 5 ft 4 in (1.63 m) |
| Nationality |
 Filipino |
| Born |
February 24, 1913 Negros Occidental, Philippines |
| Died |
August 4, 1976 (aged 63) La Carlota, Negros Occidental, Philippines |
| Stance | Southpaw |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 118 |
| Wins | 83 |
| Wins by KO | 18 |
| Losses | 24 |
| Draws | 10 |
Benjamin Gan (February 24, 1913 – August 4, 1976), more commomly known as Small Montana, was a Filipino boxer.
Montana, who stood 5 feet and 4 inch (163 cm) tall and never weighed more than 112 pounds, won the Flyweight Championship of the World (as recognized by New York state).
Fighting style
Montana was known for his quick punches, although he was a scrappy and not very tall fighter; he had not the KO punch but was speedy and clever. Montana scored just 13 knockouts in 83 professional wins.
Early life
Benjamin Gan was born in Negros Occidental, Philippines, on February 24, 1913, a son of the local chief of police. He was of Chinese descent.
Gan grew up with the passion for boxing and was inspired by the fights of the legendary Francisco Guilledo. He carried a photo of Guilledo in his wallet at all times. At a young age, Gan changed his name to Small Montana ("little mountain") and ran away from home to become a professional boxer in 1931.
Professional career
He won the American flyweight title by beating Midget Wolgast twice in 1935. He also went abroad to defend his title, but lost to Benny Lynch in a 15-round bout in London on January 9, 1937.
He also tried to fight for a world championship but fell short in all his world title matches. During his career he fought Little Dado and Little Pancho (half-brother of Francisco Guilledo) but lost to both of them on points.
Although he never won a world title, he defeated Manuel Ortiz, Midget Wolgast, Tony Marino, Joe Tei Ken, Speedy Dado, Tommy Forte, Augie Curtis, Pat Palmer, Frankie Jarr, Eugene "Tuffy" Pierpont and Antol "Tony" Kocsis.